Dan Marino was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. / Mark Duncan, AP

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino is attempting to withdraw his name from a concussion lawsuit filed last week against the NFL, the (South Florida) Sun-Suntinel reported Tuesday afternoon.

Marino was listed as a plaintiff along with 14 other former NFL players in a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Pennsylvania on May 28, joining more than 4,500 other ex-players who have accused the league of misleading them about the long-term dangers of head injuries.

The Sun-Sentinel, citing an unnamed source, reported that Marino never intended to join the lawsuit, but rather just wanted to make sure he would have medical coverage should he need it in the future.

Attempts by USA TODAY Sports to reach Sol Weiss, the attorney who filed the lawsuit, were unsuccessful. Weiss' law firm on Tuesday referred questions to a public relations firm that is handling the consolidated lawsuit by ex-players against the league.

Marino, 52, spent 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and retired after the 1999 season. He spent 12 years as an analyst for CBS, working primarily on the pregame show, but split from the network earlier this year.

Marino issued a statement to MMQB.com on Tuesday evening in which he confirmed the Sun-Sentinel's report and his intent to withdraw his name from the lawsuit.

"I have made the decision it is not necessary for me to be part of any claims or this lawsuit and therefore I am withdrawing as a plaintiff effective immediately," Marino said in the statement.

"I am sympathetic to other players who are seeking relief who may have suffered head injuries. I also disclaim any references in the form complaint of current head injuries."

The lawsuit filed last week mirrored hundreds of others brought forward by former players in accusing the NFL of "carelessness, negligence, intentional misconduct" regarding concussions and seeking money for medical treatment for chronic health issues caused by head injuries.

The earlier lawsuits were consolidated, and the NFL and plaintiffs reached a $765 million settlement last August. Federal judge Anita B. Brody denied preliminary approval of the settlement in January, writing in her ruling that there wasn't enough analysis and information in the settlement to assure her that it could provide enough money to pay the claims of all the players deemed eligible.

The proposed settlement called form a $675 million fund to award money to players with a "qualifying diagnosis." She noted that there are about 20,000 living former NFL players and that the settlement would provide, for example, up to $3.5 million for a retired player with diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease and up to $5 million for one with a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig's Disease.

"Even if only 10% of retired NFL football players eventually receiving a qualifying diagnosis, it is difficult to see how the Monetary Award Fund would have the funds available over its lifespan to pay all claimants at these significant award levels," the judge wrote.